Netherlands: Old-Crop and Imported Potatoes Carry Dutch Processing Through August
Key takeaways
- 269,300 tonnes of potatoes processed in Dutch plants
- 46.8% of August intake in Dutch plants was imported
- 60.5% processing yield in August, highest in ten years
- 3.58 million tonnes processed in the 2025/26 season
Why it matters
- For farmers
- With processors still leaning on old crop and imports, uncontracted growers should expect demand for new-crop fries potatoes to firm once carry-over stocks run out
- For processors
- Almost half of August intake was imported; plan raw-material sourcing for spring now, as the 2025 buffer that lifted yields this summer is finite
60-second summary
Dutch potato processors handled 269,300 tonnes in August 2026, according to VAVI figures reported by Boerenbusiness and Nieuwe Oogst. That is about 0.4% more than a year earlier, 23,000 tonnes less than in July and 4% below the five-year August average of 280,940 tonnes. Imports supplied 126,000 tonnes, or 46.8% of intake; the two outlets disagree on whether that share is higher or unchanged from last season. Plants produced 140,700 tonnes of fries and 22,100 tonnes of other products, a processing yield of 60.5%, which Boerenbusiness calls the highest in ten years. For the season from September 2025 to August 2026, processing totalled 3.58 million tonnes, against 3.87 million tonnes a year before. Into mid-September, factories ran on roughly half old-crop and half new-crop potatoes. The data show how much Dutch processing still depends on stored 2025 potatoes and imports as the smaller 2026 crop arrives.
Dutch potato processors handled 269,300 tonnes of raw material in August 2026, according to figures from the processors’ association VAVI reported by Boerenbusiness and Nieuwe Oogst. That is roughly 0.4% more than in August 2025 but about 23,000 tonnes less than in July, and 4% below the five-year August average of 280,940 tonnes.
Imported potatoes made up a large part of the intake. Both publications put imports at 126,000 tonnes, or 46.8% of the total processed. Boerenbusiness says this share is higher than in the previous season; Nieuwe Oogst describes it as roughly unchanged.
Output was strong relative to input. According to Boerenbusiness, the plants produced 140,700 tonnes of fries and 22,100 tonnes of other potato products, a processing yield of 60.5% – the highest in ten years. The publication attributes this to the quality of the old-crop 2025 potatoes still being processed.
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A smaller season
For the full processing season from September 2025 to August 2026, Dutch plants processed 3.58 million tonnes, against 3.87 million tonnes in September 2024–August 2025, the VAVI data show. Into mid-September, factories were running on roughly half old-crop and half new-crop potatoes, according to Boerenbusiness.
The two outlets read the same month differently: Boerenbusiness headlines that old potatoes “saved” Dutch processing, while Nieuwe Oogst describes a “step back” from July. Both sets of figures are identical.
Why it matters
The August data show how much the Dutch processing chain still depends on stored 2025 potatoes and on imports. That buffer is finite. Together with the tightening outlook for north-west European processing supply, the numbers suggest that the real test of the smaller 2026 crop will come later in the season, once carry-over stocks are exhausted. Growers with uncontracted volumes and processors planning their spring raw-material needs should watch the monthly VAVI figures closely.
Photo: Potato strip production line (illustrative). SortingExpert / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
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What next
Monthly VAVI data for September and later will show how fast the share of old-crop potatoes falls and whether imports keep covering almost half of Dutch processing needs.
Sources
- Boerenbusiness — https://www.boerenbusiness.nl/akkerbouw/aardappelen/artikel/10917039/oude-aardappelen-redden-nederlandse-verwerking
- Nieuwe Oogst — https://www.nieuweoogst.nl/nieuws/2026/09/22/aardappelverwerkers-doen-stapje-terug-in-augustus
- Data: VAVI (Dutch potato processors' association). The two outlets differ on the trend in the import share.
Linked in this material
- Country
- Netherlands
- Companies
- VAVI
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